What TikTok Restricted Mode does and doesn't do (iPhone, 2026)
Restricted Mode filters what TikTok shows you. TikTok's help says it limits content that may not be comfortable for everyone, such as mature or complex themes, and that some features stop working while it is on: the Following feed, going LIVE and gifting on LIVE. It does not remove the For You feed. For You keeps playing, just with some videos filtered out. Turn it on under Settings and privacy › Content preferences › Restricted Mode, with a passcode. If what you want gone is For You itself, Restricted Mode is the wrong tool; minulo hides For You for free and keeps your messages.
Written by Ayumu Kitabayashi, the developer of minulo. Facts about TikTok come from the sources listed below, checked on 2026-10-25. Menu names can change with app updates.
| Method | What it does | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Restricted Mode | Filters mature or complex content, such as profanity, sexually suggestive content and realistic violence. Protected by a passcode. | For You stays. The Following feed, going LIVE and LIVE gifts are turned off. |
| Filter keywords | Keeps videos with words or hashtags you choose out of supported feeds such as For You and Following. Up to 100 keywords. | Not available in every feed in every region. Some keywords can't be filtered. |
| minulo (free) | Opens TikTok with For You, Explore and Create hidden. Messages and Following keep working. | The official TikTok app does not change. |
How to turn Restricted Mode on or off
- In the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom.
- Tap the Menu ☰ button at the top, then Settings and privacy.
- Tap Content preferences, then Restricted Mode.
- Follow the steps to set or enter a passcode, then turn it on or off. The first time, you tap Turn on before setting the passcode.
If you have more than one account, TikTok says you have to turn Restricted Mode on for each one separately. Parents and guardians can turn it on for a teen's account through Family Pairing.
What Restricted Mode filters
TikTok says it uses automated systems and human moderators to decide what is left out. Its list of things you shouldn't see includes profanity, sexually suggestive content, realistic violence or threatening imagery, firearms or weapons in an inappropriate setting, illegal or controlled substances, and explicit references to mature or complex themes meant for older audiences. TikTok also says it is still improving the feature and asks you to report videos that shouldn't be there.
What Restricted Mode does not do
It does not turn off For You, cap your time or stop one video from rolling into the next. TikTok's help lists the features that stop working, and For You is not among them; the Following feed is. So with Restricted Mode on you can end up with only the recommended feed and no feed of people you follow, which is the opposite of what many people looking for this setting want.
For time, TikTok has a separate daily screen time setting, and iPhone Screen Time can limit the whole app. Neither one removes For You either.
Hide For You with minulo
minulo opens TikTok's website inside the app. Tap the gear next to TikTok and turn on Recommendations (Hide For You, Explore and Create). Hide suggested accounts is there too. To keep only messages, choose Every tab but DMs, which hides Following as well. Messages and Following open straight from the minulo home screen.
Hiding is free. minulo can also lock the official TikTok app with Screen Time, free for up to 2 hours per block. While it is locked, its notifications don't arrive, and minulo does not send any in their place. minulo Pro adds schedules by day and time, blocks over 2 hours, Hard Mode and multiple block lists. minulo is for iPhone only.
Does TikTok Restricted Mode turn off the For You page?
No. Restricted Mode filters some content out of what TikTok shows, but For You keeps working. TikTok's help lists the Following feed, going LIVE and gifting on LIVE as the features that become unavailable.
Why did my Following feed disappear on TikTok?
If Restricted Mode is on, that is expected. TikTok's help says the Following feed is unavailable in Restricted Mode. Turn it off under Settings and privacy, Content preferences, Restricted Mode, using your passcode.
What does TikTok Restricted Mode block?
Content TikTok considers not comfortable for everyone, such as profanity, sexually suggestive content, realistic violence, weapons in an inappropriate setting, drugs, and explicit references to mature themes. TikTok uses automated systems and human moderators to decide.
Do I need to turn on Restricted Mode for each account?
Yes. TikTok says that if you have multiple accounts, you must turn Restricted Mode on for each account separately.
How can I get rid of For You on TikTok?
TikTok has no setting that removes it. In minulo, TikTok opens with For You, Explore and Create hidden while messages and Following keep working, for free.
Sources
